Pressroom

Season Premiere ART BEAT, Airs Oct 4

OREGON ART BEAT, OPB’s award-winning weekly television series about the arts and artists in this corner of the world, kicks off its 14th season on Thursday, October 4 at 8pm. The season opens on location at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and also includes stories from Elkton and North Bend.

“We’ll be out in the community more than ever,” said Executive Producer Jessica Martin. “We want viewers to experience the kinds of connections we make with people and communities as we crisscross the region filming our stories.”

•\tOpening the season in southern Oregon, ART BEAT drops in on animator Christiane Cegavske as she works on “Seed in the Sand,” a sequel to the haunting film “Blood Tea and Red String” which made a huge splash in the avant guard film world when it came out in 2006.

•\tAlex Krebs lives a life filled with tango. He’s a tango dancer who also teaches dancing in his studio in southeast Portland. He’s also plays the bandoneon, a traditional tango instrument, with other musicians all over town.

•\tAt the Ashland Art Center, host Lynne Clendenin takes us on a tour of the three-story studio full of working artist of every stripe, each making something right before our eyes.

Each week, ART BEAT continues to expand its story repertoire, varying in length, style and location. Many of the region’s finest established painters, sculptors and performing artists are on the schedule, but viewers will also have the chance to meet new and thought-provoking artists who sometimes work in less traditional, even quirky, art forms. Case in point, when ART BEAT goes to the circus for a special airing in November on Portland’s burgeoning alternative circus scene.

And in January, a “Divas of Jazz” special will showcase Esperanza Spaulding, Thara Memory and others in concert and interviews.

From a dance school teaching traditional Indian dance in Beaverton to a glass sculptor in Eugene who teaches his unusual technique to students around the world, from a mural painter in Portland to a piano hospital in Vancouver, this season’s ART BEAT will entertain, educate and inspire.

OPB continues to expand its coverage of the arts on the Web and on radio. And make sure to visit OPB’s Arts & Life pages (opb.org/artsandlife), where you new stories on the arts appear daily.

A great place to keep up with it all is on Facebook (facebook.com/OregonArtBeat). ART BEAT is everywhere this season!

About OREGON ART BEAT

OREGON ART BEAT, Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Emmy-Award winning local arts series, is in its 14th season. ART BEAT profiles Northwest artists, musicians and artisans — from an operatic baritone to a bit-and-spur craftsman to everything in between. The program airs Thursdays at 8pm and Sundays at 1am and 6pm. In the Mountain Time Zone of Eastern Oregon, the program airs at 9pm Thursdays and repeats at 7pm on Sundays. Funding for OREGON ART BEAT is provided in part by James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation and the Kinsman Foundation. More information is available online at opb.org/artbeat.

About OPB

OPB is the largest cultural and education institution in the region, delivering excellence in public broadcasting to 1.5 million people each week through television, radio and the Internet. Widely recognized as a national leader in the public broadcasting arena, OPB is a major contributor to the program schedule that serves the entire country. OPB is one of the most-used and most-supported public broadcasting services in the country and is generously supported by 115,000 contributors.